Sometimes it’s lamb stew on the menu, other times it’s roast duck. For the past few months, Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has been donating excess food prepared for banquets to the less fortunate. On each occasion, an average of 50 to 80 trays of unserved, blast-frozen cooked dishes are delivered for same-day consumption.

Under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Christopher Christie, kitchen staff check the food is at -5°C to -10°C before packing them into thermal boxes. Staff from The Food Bank Singapore stand ready to load them into a van for delivery.

– 90% of consumers are concerned about the food waste generated by F&B companies – 95% of consumers want F&B companies to do more to reduce food waste – Consumers are willing to support F&B companies which adopt strategies to reduce food waste

Singapore, 5 Aug 2015 – Majority of consumers are concerned about food waste generated by food and beverage (F&B) companies and would encourage and support the companies to reduce food waste, according to a recent survey conducted to understand consumer attitudes toward food waste generated by the F&B sector in Singapore. The study was conducted from Feb to Apr this year by the students under the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme from the National University of Singapore, in partnership with the new non-profit organisation, Zero Waste SG.

According to the National Environment Agency, about 790,000 tonnes of food waste was generated in Singapore in 2014 and only 13% of this waste is recycled. Consumers can reduce food waste on an individual level, but can also play an important role in advocating for greater efforts and best practices in food waste reduction by the F&B sector. With this premise, the study aims to understand consumers’ attitude towards food waste and how they hope F&B companies (including retail shops selling food; bakeries; cafes; restaurants; food courts; canteens; hawker centres; markets; supermarkets; and caterers) can contribute to the reduction of food waste. Read more

NTUC FairPrice is taking the first steps to measure and reduce food waste in its supermarkets. So far, FairPrice is the only supermarket retailer that has publicly commit to food waste reduction efforts, and this leadership is something that the other supermarket retailers need to follow.

After two years of consultative study under its Food Waste Framework, FairPrice today announced a Food Waste Index to track and sustain food waste reduction efforts, which is a first in the Singapore supermarket industry. The Food Waste Index measures the annual total food waste against the total retail space of all FairPrice stores, and will enable FairPrice to track its progress on various food waste reduction initiatives. Read more

Singaporeans waste a lot of food each year. In 2013, we threw away about 0.8 million tonnes of food waste and only 13% was recycled. We should not waste food and let’s try to find ways to reduce food wastage in our homes, for our events and for companies that produce food products.

Here’s a few tips:

For Homes

Before cooking, confirm the amount of food needed and plan the type of food to be cooked and how to cook the food. This helps you to prevent excessive food wastage.

You can also refer to the food storage chart from the AVA website to check some guidelines on how long you can keep your food in the refrigerator. By keeping to the food storage duration and temperature, you can reduce food spoilage.

For Events

Confirm the number of participants attending the event and their dietary requirements. This would help you to prepare or order the right amount of food. It might also be good to cater slightly less food (about 10 to 20 percent) than required so as to avoid unnecessary wastage.

Arrange for any leftover food to be given to the venue staff, event organiser or donate it to a charity. The leftover food should not be wasted.

For Food Companies

If your company has unsold or soon-to-be expired food products, you can sell them at a cheaper price before the expiry date to clear stock or donate the food products to schools, charitable organisations or anyone who wants them before the expiry date.

You can also contact the following organisations:

A local non-profit organisation, Food from the Heart, collects unsold bread and pastries from bakeries and hotels and distributes them to welfare organisations, needy families and individuals.

Food Bank Singapore collects excess or unwanted food from food companies, retailers and home consumers, and distributes them to the needy.